WATER. 



to be defended is interfered by a river. This is, it is 

 thought, the mod expenfive and difficult cafe that can occur ; 

 but it is here only neceflary to carry the defence along each 

 fide of it to the fea ; and there, where it interfefts the other 

 line of defence, to place a flood-gate, which may prevent 

 the tide from entering, except when it may be neceflary to 

 admit veflels or other things, and which fliall allow the water 

 of the river to pafs into the fea. Small rivulets and fprings 

 may either be turned along the margin of the land gained, 

 and be let out at one end of the defence where it joins the 

 land, or be led the moft convenient way to one or more of 

 the valves or flood-gates, which it is neceflary to make in all 

 defences for excluding the water within. The water col- 

 ledled on the furface of the land gained, may generally be 

 let off by the above flood-gates or valves ; but where the 

 defence is extended into the water, this cannot be the cafe, 

 as the level of the fea will moftly be above that of the land. 

 In this cafe, wind-mills for driving pumps muft be placed at 

 proper diftances, according as the particular cafe may be. 

 Perhaps, in general, one fmall wind-mill driving four pumps, 

 may be fufficient for freeing a thoufand acres of ground of 

 water. The expence of fuch a pump-mill would not, it is 

 faid, be above twenty or thirty pounds. By making a 

 fmall defence-bank, from two to four feet high, fome dif- 

 tance within the larger one, all the water coUefted between 

 that and the original fliore would be accumulated ; and it 

 might be led in a raifed canal in the fame level to a flood- 

 gate in the outer defence. This would, it is thought, leave 

 very little water to be drawn up by the pump ; and in this 

 way, though twenty thoufand acres were gained, one wind- 

 mill only would be necelTary. Often, and indeed in moft 

 cafes, in place of a wind-mill, the brooks, rivulets, or fprings 

 colletted within, might eafily, it is faid, be made to turn a 

 water-wheel, which would be more permanent and uniform 

 than that turned by the wind. A bafon might alfo be con- 

 llrufted, fo that the ebb and flow of the tide would turn a 

 draining-whcel ; and a great many other methods might, it 

 is fuppofed, be fuccefsfuUy adopted. Thus, in land gained 

 from the fea, there cannot, it is thought, be any difficulty 

 in preferving it from water, from whatever quarter it may 

 come. When the land to be gained is more or lefs covered 

 with ftones, thefe ffiould be put in flat-bottomed boats at 

 low water ; and when the tide floats them, they fhould be 

 rowed to the propofed line of bank defence, and be then 

 dropped. This mode of conveyance will genei'ally be found 

 the moft economical for all the folid materials vrhich are at 

 a diftance. Where the ground is fandy or poor on the fur- 

 face, and aogillaceous earth or rich loam below, it may be 

 trench-ploughed to fuch a depth, as to turn up the good 

 and bury the bad foil. If the foil be fliallow, and even 

 rocky, it may ftill, it is faid, be rendered valuable. The 

 moft rocky parts may be covered five or fix inches 

 deep with mouldy matters, and the whole be fown with 

 either meadow grafs-feeds, to be floated with freffi water, or 

 kept as meadow ; or with other proper and fuitable grafs- 

 feeds, and kept as falt-marfli. When mud of a good quality 

 and confiderable depth is gained, it may, in fome cafes, it is 

 thought, be defirable to fummer-fallow it for one or more 

 feafons, after it has been fecured from the fea. At other 

 times it may be better to fow it with rape-feed for the firft 

 fcafon, and to fummer-fallow it the next, as a preparation 

 for a corn-crop, &c. 



It is obferved that no fort of land can be gained from 

 the fea but what is of great value for the purpofe of culti- 

 vation, and efpecially as it can for the moft part be flooded 

 by frefh water as well as by that of the fea at all times. By 

 flooding, the moft barren fand or rock, with only an inch or 



two of foil upon it, will bear excellent pafture. Indeed, 

 much of the fand in thefe fituations that is often reckoned ; 

 barren and ufelefs, is mixed with broken (hells-, and on being; ! 

 examined will be found to contain three or four parts in ten 

 of calcareous matter. Moft of the large rocks, too, witliin 

 the fait -water mark are, it is faid, in a ftate of rapid decom- 

 pofition, and fo fragile on the furface, as to be eafily pene- 

 trated by the roots of grafs-plants ; more particularly after 

 they have been expofed for fome length of time to the 

 aftion of the atmofphere. The large detached ftones often 

 found within the water-mark are not here meant, as thefe 

 are fuppofed to be either buried in the ground, or boated 

 off as above ; but thofe continued rocks which frequently 

 conftitute the bafis of the fea-(hore for great diftances, 

 the furface of which is fo completely oxydated, and occa- 

 fionally decompofed and reduced fo as to be called rotten, 

 that they are capable of affording either an excellent ma- 

 nure for certain foils, or are fit and proper -for fupporting 

 the vegetation of faline plants in their aftual condition. 



The quantity of land of this fort that is eafily capable of 

 being obtained and thus cultivated is very confiderable 

 indeed, perhaps not lefs than fome millions of acres in the 

 whole illand. See Waste Land, and Watering Land. 

 Alfo ^ALT-MarJ]}. 



Water, Gum. See MuciLAGE. 



Water, Hungary. See Hungary Water. 



Water, Laurel. See Laurel. 



Water, Lime, is common water, in which quicklime 

 has been flaked. See L.i}iiE-lVater. 



Waters, Ophthalmic, or Eje, are fuch as are good in dif- 

 orders of the eyes. See CoLLYR^u^r, Eye, and Ophthax- 



UlA. 



Water, Tar. See TAR-lVater. 



Water, in Anatomy, &c. is applied to divers liquors, or 

 humours, in the human body. 



Such is the aqua phlegmatica, phlegmatic water ; which is 

 a ferous fluid contained in the pericardium. 



Water, in Geography and Hydrography, is a common, or 

 general name, applied to all liquid tranfparent bodies, flow- 

 ing on the earth. 



In this fenfe, water and earth are faid to conftitute our 

 terraqueous globe. 



Some authors have raflily and injurioufly taxed the diftri- 

 bution of water and earth in our globe as unartful, and not 

 well proportioned ; fuppofing that the water takes up too 

 much room. 



The quantity of water on this fide our globe, Dr.Cheyne 

 fufpefts to be daily decreafing ; fome part thereof " being 

 continually turned into animal, vegetable, metalline, or mi- 

 neral fubftances ; which are not eafily diftolved again into 

 their component parts." Philofoph. Princip. of Rehg. 



Many modern philofophers are of the fame opinion. 



An inundation, or overflowing of the waters, makes a 

 Deluge; which fee. 



Water, among Jewellers, is properly the colour or luftre 

 of diamonds and pearls ; thus called, by reafon thefe were 

 anciently fuppofed to be formed, or concreted of water. 

 The term is fometimes alfo ufed, though lefs properly, for 

 the colour or hue of other precious ftones. 



Water is alfo ufed in divers ceremonies, both civil and 

 religious. Such are the baptifmal -water, holy luater, &c. 



Water, Holy, is a water prepared every Sunday in the 

 Roniifli church, with divers prayers, exorcifms, &c. ufed 

 by the people to crofs themfelves with at their entrance, 

 and going out of church ; and pretended to have the virtue 

 of waffiing away venial fins, driving away devils, preferving 



from 



I 



